biography
Profile
Hemi Hema (QSM)
Hemi Hema received the Queen’s Service Medal (Q.S.M) in 2012 for his services to the Māori Deaf community. Along with Karen Pointon in the same year, Hemi was the first Māori Deaf person to receive such an honour.
2002
video – Taonga source: Dorothy Jones
Amateur footage: Inaugural Deaf Rugby World Championship
A snapshot of the inaugural 2002 Deaf Rugby World Championships held in Auckland, briefly touching on official matches, friendly games, and two social evenings at Auckland Deaf Club, with speeches galore!
NZSL Stories
1994
publication – Taonga source: National Foundation for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
NFD Communicate: June 1994
2002
video – Taonga source: Kevin and Lynette Pivac
Māori & Pacific Island Deaf play against Japan Deaf Rugby XV
TVNZ’s Marae programme features the friendly game between Deaf Māori & Pacific Island Invitational XV and the Japan Deaf Rugby team. It includes the pre-match team talk with coach Richard Peri, karakia from kaumatua Ivan Tamepo, and discussions with assistant Togia Lanefale. It concludes with highlights of the match which was closely fought but finally won by Japan 20-17.
1992
publication – Taonga source: National Foundation for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
NFD Communicate: September 1992
Est. 1992
COLLECTIONS – CURATED BY SIGNDNA: DEAF NATIONAL ARCHIVE
Rūaumoko Marae
Rūaumoko Marae has been part of Deaf Māori community for 30 years and is a central part of Deaf Māori community. It's a place where Deaf Māori can just be; they can connect and learn about te ao Māori.
2021
article – Taonga source: NZ Herald.
Deaf Northlander Eddie Hokianga urges Māori to turn their hand towards trilingual interpreter roles
Northland sign language tutor Eddie Hokianga has taken up the task of ensuring the region's deaf Māori community is heard. Hokianga (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Porou) has spent the last three years teaching te reo sign language to help fill a national void of interpreters fluent in the discourse.
2018
article – Taonga source: Southland Times
Marae visit highlights challenges the deaf face in connecting with Māori culture
A visit by a group of Southland students to a marae has highlighted the challenges faced by deaf Māori who want to connect with their culture.
2014
video – Taonga source: Ministry of Education
Acknowledgements – Ko Wai Au? Who Am I? See My Voice?
An acknowledgement to all the team who helped make the Ko Wai Au? Who Am I? See My Voice? exhibition possible. Ko Wai Au is an exhibition empowering Māori rangatahi who identify as Deaf to communicate with others leading to a wider understanding of aspirations as young Deaf Māori.
1992
publication – Taonga source: National Foundation for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
NFD Communicate: March 1992
2011
video – Taonga source: Deaf Aotearoa New Zealand
God Defend New Zealand: New Zealand National Anthem in NZSL, Maori & English
In NZSL with subtitles in Māori and English; created in collaboration with native speakers of NZSL, Māori & English, and sign language linguists from the Deaf community, with the purpose to create a NZSL translation that was true to the meaning behind the Māori & English lyrics.
2022
article – Taonga source: The Northern Advocate
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori – Māori Language Week: Deaf Northlander Eddie Hokianga
Deaf Northlander Eddie Hokianga was on a troubled trajectory in life until he got his hands on te reo and connected with his Māori culture. Hokianga (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Porou) and Kim Robinson of Deaf Action New Zealand are delivering a groundbreaking initiative in the form of an eight-week course to be held, ideally, across 20 Northland marae.
2017
article – Taonga source: Stuff
Bringing te reo to deaf Māori
Māori concepts like tikanga, iwi and kaumātua don't exist in English-based sign language. And it means deaf Māori have been deprived of their culture, Hamilton-based interpreter Stephanie Awheto said. But that's changing, albeit slowly.
biography
Profile
Anthony ‘Tony’ Walton (CNZM)
Tony received the Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2001 for his services to the Deaf community. Tony has had a broad involvement in many areas of the Deaf community, having been President of the NZ Deaf Sports Association and successfully hosting the World Deaf Games in 1989.